Connecticut advances sports betting reform bill

Connecticut lawmakers have already moved the state’s 2026 gaming bill through both chambers and on to Gov. Ned Lamont, according to General Assembly records. House Bill 5229, titled “An Act Concerning Gaming,” passed the House 145-4 on May 4 and the Senate 32-1 on May 5, legislative records show. The bill was transmitted by the secretary of the state to the governor on May 15 and is listed as Public Act 26-53 in legislative tracking records. The measure matters for sports betting because it began as a broader package that included account-withdrawal rules and a proposed ban on using artificial intelligence to target certain bets to online sports-wagering customers. But the final House-amended version that cleared the legislature was narrower, focusing on advertising restrictions, customer-service requirements, geolocation rules for some wagering platforms, lottery testing and certification, and a state study of prediction markets. (legiscan.com) ### Which bill are people referring to when they say Connecticut advanced a sports-betting reform measure? House Bill 5229 is the bill that advanced this month. Legislative tracking records describe it as a gaming measure and show it completed legislative action after passage in both chambers. The General Assembly’s bill status page and LegiScan both identify the bill as the vehicle for this year’s gaming changes. (cga.ct.gov) The bill’s original statement of purpose explicitly referenced sports wagering. That purpose said the measure would restrict gaming advertising at college and university campuses, set requirements on gaming-account withdrawals, require customer-service phone numbers, and bar the use of artificial intelligence for targeting certain bets to customers making online sports wagers. (cga.ct.gov) ### What survived in the version that actually passed? House Amendment “A” removed several provisions from the earlier draft, according to the Office of Legislative Research bill analysis. The amendment stripped out the online account-withdrawal language, the artificial-intelligence limits on sports-betting platforms, and a proposed ban on some out-of-state or international dog-racing wagers. (cga.ct.gov) The version that passed instead added or retained several other items. The final bill requires certain licensees to maintain a toll-free number for help with problems on electronic wagering platforms, restricts certain gaming advertising on higher-education campuses and related digital properties, bars ads for keno, online lottery ticket sales and fantasy contests during television programs primarily aimed at viewers under 18, requires a study on prediction markets, and adds geolocation requirements for certain electronic wagering platforms. (cga.ct.gov) ### How broad is Connecticut’s gaming market under current law? Connecticut law already authorizes a limited set of master wagering licensees. The bill analysis says those licensees are generally the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, the Mohegan Tribe and the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, and that the tribes are authorized to conduct online sports betting, online casino gaming and fantasy contests under that license structure. (cga.ct.gov) A separate 2025 gaming law also shows Connecticut has continued to revise the market after launch. That earlier measure allowed the governor to enter agreements for multijurisdictional online peer-to-peer casino games and revised some gaming and advertising rules, underscoring that the state has been making follow-on changes after initial legalization. (cga.ct.gov) ### Did the legislature treat this as a bipartisan measure? The vote margins were overwhelmingly bipartisan. The House passed the amended bill 145-4, and the Senate passed it 32-1, according to legislative records. The sponsor list in LegiScan also includes both Democrats and Republicans, including General Law Committee members from both parties. (cga.ct.gov) The General Law Committee reported the bill out on March 30, and the committee’s joint favorable report said the bill was raised to better protect Connecticut consumers and improve safety in gaming. ### What happens next, and when do the changes kick in? May 15 is the key administrative date in the record because that is when the bill was transmitted to Lamont, according to legislative tracking. (legiscan.com) The bill analysis says the act is effective upon passage, except that the toll-free phone-number and advertising provisions take effect July 1, 2026. (cga.ct.gov) Section 3 of the act also directs the Department of Consumer Protection to study the effects of prediction-market platforms on Connecticut residents, according to the fiscal note. That study requirement is now one of the concrete next items to watch alongside Lamont’s action on Public Act 26-53. (cga.ct.gov) (legiscan.com)